This invention relates generally to tractor hoods and more particularly concerns tractor hoods which have a hand grip and are sealably connected to a filler neck.
There is a recent trend in the agricultural industry to improve the efficiency of crop production by utilizing higher horsepower tractors on larger units of farm land. Although higher horsepower tractors are more efficient while working in the larger fields, their horsepower requirements result in high profiles for the tractors.
The tractor's high profile will diminish their efficiency during servicing operations, because the high profile makes it more difficult for the operator to obtain access to the components that pass through the top of the elevated tractor hood, e.g. fuel tank and radiator filler necks. The operator's access is inhibited by his having to raise himself to the elevation of the top of the hood, and then stabilizing himself at the elevation as he performs the servicing operation on the components.
These tractors should therefore be equipped with a grip by which the operator can secure himself when he has reached the elevation of the top of the hood. In addition, the heighth of the grip and filler neck above the hood line should be minimized to avoid their interfering with the operator's line of sight when he is operating the tractor, while being fully functional when the tractor is being operated in the rain. Finally, the grip and filler neck passage through the hood should utilize a simple structure that can be economically manufactured without sacrificing the aesthetic qualities of the hood.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand grip/filler neck recess for the top of the hood of a tractor.
With more particularity, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand grip/filler neck hood top arrangement which would be functional during operation of the tractor during the rain and which will not interfere with the operator's line of sight.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low profile, hood top hand grip/filler neck arrangement that utilizes a simple structure to minimize the manufacturing cost without sacrificing the aesthetics of the hood.